2017 OEM Roof Rack installation tips

I made the decision to get the oem roof rack for my double cab taco. I read posts, and watched videos on the installation process before I started. Seems like everyone complained how finicky these things are. Man they weren't lying.

Long story short this is what I learned. I didn't see anything on the internet advising of these details. So I thought I'd share them in the hopes that this saves others the time and frustration of accidentally stripping a screw or not having the holes line up or having gaps in the rails. etc.

1. Each rail has a pivot bolt. It's the longest bolt on the rail. Underneath it is a square connector. You need to tape this otherwise it will inevitably fall out after you install the rail.


2. When you take off the rubber molding don't remove the hole stickers. Instead poke a hole in them and then use the foam washer to cover them. I think this is why people complain of water leaks.


3. on the rail mounts use a little bit of white out so you don't get the mounts mixed up


4.Teflon tape the bolts in the direction your going to screw them in. In this case clockwise.


5. I used these cheap magnetic bolt holders I got from Harbor freight to keep my bolts in order. With a coupon they were 88 cents a piece.


6. After you install the rail and screw in the bolts, use silicone or in this case I used hot glue to seal the bolts up. I'm paranoid about water leakage so better safe than sorry.


7. Label your molding and keep it in a safe place just in case you need them again. This stuff is about 50$ a piece so x2 its over a hundred bucks if you need it again.


finished results with no gaps, and one stripped bolt that I was able to replace via a trip to home depot.

 

Nice writeup.

BTW, did you notice if the racks increased wind noise? My experience is they tend to howl in the wind. Not sure if it makes a difference if it is open or closed.

Also wanted to mention that hot glue isnt a good sealer. Eventually it will separate from the screw and allow water to seep underneath the bolt. And because now the water can’t evaporate, it will make it worse then without it. You would be better off taking all that hot glue out and using some black RTV silicone. JMHO.

 

I find definite wind noise when I have the bars across the truck, but nothing noticeable when they are in the 'stowed' or parallel to the truck position.

 

@TacoTruck808 how easy is that RTV stuff to remove if I need to unbolt it?
@tirediron I haven't noticed any additional noise. BTW I kinda like noisey trucks. haha

 

Not that difficult. I think the hot glue would be more difficult to remove then the RTV Silicone. If you dont cover the Torx thread, you can just unscrew the bolt and it will just come loose and can be scraped out.

 

Yep...either Poor design or they could have either reshape or set back?
The wind noise is annoying...I was surprised the first time..I did buy aftermarket wind defector from Yakima’s...it reduce it a bit...

How can a big company like Toyota not know about this or didn’t care..is Toyota going cheap?
I like the idea you can close it...But the wind noise...like trumps’ windmills ....the noise will cause cancers...lol

I remember my Moms station wagon with factory roof racks ...never did have noise...Moms always know the best.. did you ask your Mom first?
Aloha,

 

I recall a trick from some time ago that if you wrap wire around the rack it eliminates wind noise. Wrap them to look like stripes on a candy cane for lack of a better simile.